One of my favorite stops in London is the iconic Connaught hotel which is near the U.S. embassy. I remember the first time I stayed at the hotel as I decided to walk down the wide staircase rather than take the elevator.  The beautiful woodwork and paneling was home to paintings which could have been comfortable at many museums.  As I reached the ground floor, I noticed that all the males were well dressed and I immediately did an about face, rushed up the stairs and donned a sport coat and tie. To this day when in London, I take care to dress a step above the herd to better immerse myself in the feel of the city and its history.

Recently, I was pleased to find that the long-awaited cigar lounge has been opened in the hotel.  Years ago, one could go to the Coburg Bar, have a cigar, and discuss with the excellent staff the various whiskeys, scotches and other libations while imaging the time when some of the great statesmen of Great Britain enjoyed the same room.  Then came the wonders of the anti-smoking campaign and an activity that had been perfectly reasonable was suddenly a threat to humanity. It was a victory in the war on men. Oh well, such is “progress”.

Entering the hotel, I asked for directions to the cigar lounge, and was taken to a door in one of the bars which opened onto a well-lit, comfortable room which had a fantastic wall size window which looked out onto the street.  The choice of cigars was excellent with excellent Cubans at reasonable (for London and Cuban) prices.  The drink menu was acceptable but unfortunately the standard British measure for alcohol was followed so I might suggest that you save time and order a double.

It was a joy to sit in a well cushioned chair and look out onto the street, even though the day was dry and cool.  What fun it would be to be there when it was raining, and you could feel safely separated from the cold and damp!  And, during the evening, it is amusing to walk by the window from the outside to view the chosen few who have found a refuge from the slings and arrows of an increasingly silly world.

In the end, that room gave me hope that there are still those individuals who remember and desire some of the romantic visions we may have of the past.

No one ever said that being a parent was easy, but traditionally the parents were given the benefit of the doubt regarding the raising of their children.  Cases of parental abuse were dealt with by the court system and while not perfect, the welfare of the child as a minor incapable of rational choice was the main concern of the state.  In the public school system, there was a goal of parent/teacher co-operation and trust.

The one benefit of the lockdowns-admittedly at a huge cost-has been a re-examination of the parent-teacher relationship as parents have become more aware of the curriculum which has taken over many public schools with the full support of the teacher’s unions and power forces which are immune to parental concerns and desires.  Amazingly teachers who have failed to provide the three “R” s to students at a time when future employment and self-sufficiency will be more and more dependent on these basic skills more than ever, has seemingly taken onto their broad shoulders’ the sexual lives of children five years old and older. Thank goodness for their expert help! It is clear that teachers in many locations across the country are unable to fulfill the basics of their position so why would anyone believe they are competent to take on the sexual education of the children in their classes?

As if the arrogance of the teachers is not enough, corporate America has also decided that it is their responsibility to jump into the fight and help parents across America raise their children to be happy, responsible, and sexually fulfilled minors. It is obvious that if you take your child to Disney World, you are taking them there so that they will be exposed to the correct sexual role models, not to provide an innocent, if expensive, lapse into fantasy. At the same time, summer camp may now be available for parents to allow individuals with no professional expertise to provide their children with sexual toys, lessons on BDSM and other sexual advice that those foolish parents thought would be best handled by the parents themselves.

The two links to short articles by Christopher F. Rufo should be read by parents so that they may ask pointed questions when they decide to turn their children over to what has traditionally been a time of innocent fun, experience, and growth.  It seems that it is the view of more and more organizations and special interest groups that the role of parents is one to merely provide shelter and food to children and that parents should leave the moral and sexual education to those who know better or at the very least, have a self-serving agenda totally opposed to the will of those foolish parents.

https://www.city-journal.org/kentucky-summer-camp-teaches-sex-liberation

https://www.city-journal.org/disneys-ideological-capture